[Herald Interview] 'Actors are drawn to exciting stories'

While many drama fans felt “Oldboy” star Choi Min-sik’s return to the small screen with “Big Bet” represented the big-name movie star’s acceptance of video streaming services, the 60-year-old actor revealed that he simply felt the need to tell a fascinating story to the world. “I said in a press conference that I decided to star in ‘Big Bet’ because I really missed TV dramas, but what I actually meant was (I missed) the long, epic stories of

March 28, 2023

BTS' Jimin tops Spotify, enters Hot 100 with solo album

K-pop sensation BTS' member Jimin has made a good start on the global music charts with his first solo album "Face." BTS' agency Big Hit Music on Tuesday announced the album's title track "Like Crazy" topped the world's biggest music streaming platform Spotify's daily top song global chart on Sunday. Following the album's release on Friday, the titular track had entered the Spotify chart at No. 2 with 6,634,838 streams on its first day. Three day

March 28, 2023

NewJeans' agency to debut a boy band

Ador, the label behind the sensational rookie girl group NewJeans, said it is now creating a boy band. The label on Tuesday announced it is launching a global audition process called, "2023 Ador Global Audition - The Real Hype Boys," in search of members for the upcoming boy band. According to the announcement, men born from the years 2004 to 2012 can apply either individually or as a team. While most other K-pop label auditions have evaluated applicants largely according to their asse

March 28, 2023

[Herald Review] TXT unfolds a sweet mirage of youth with world tour

The shimmer of youth fades ever so fast that, even when standing at its center, we often feel overwhelmed by the fear that it might slip through our fingers in no time. Perhaps now is that shining moment for the five members of boy band Tomorrow X Together, also called TXT for short. “Our spring began and our youth bloomed on March 4, when Tomorrow X Together met Moa,” Soobin, the leader of the quintet, said on Sunday during the act‘s concert. Moa is the collective name for TXT

March 27, 2023

Dojaejung, new unit from NCT to debut in April

K-pop sensation NCT is launching a new unit with three of its members Doyoung, Jaehyun and Jungwoo. The trio will make their debut as Dojaejung with their first mini album “Perfume" on April 17, according to SM Entertainment on Monday. The mini album carries a total of six tracks led by the titular track “Perfume,” and five side tracks of diverse genres. Members of Dojaejung are renowned for their outstanding vocal and performance talents as well as for their good looks. T

March 27, 2023

[Today’s K-pop] BTS’ Jimin sells 1m copies of solo album in 1 day

Jimin of BTS sold more than 1.02 million copies of his first solo album, “Face,” on the day of its release. It is an unprecedented record for a solo musician in K-pop history. The album also topped Oricon’s daily album ranking and the iTunes top albums chart in 63 regions while main track “Like Crazy” landed atop the iTunes top songs chart in 111 regions. “Like Crazy” debuted on Spotify’s daily top songs global chart at No. 2, and the pre-release

March 27, 2023

‘My ID is Gangnam Beauty!’ webtoon to be made into Thai TV drama

Naver Webtoon, South Korean tech giant Naver’s digital comics platform, confirmed that its popular webtoon series “My ID is Gangnam Beauty!” is being adapted into a TV drama in Thailand. Thai production company GMMTV has cast sought-after Thai actors, including Baifern Pimchanok, Win Metawin, Fah Yongwaree and Great Sapol, Naver Webtoon said. The 14-part “Beauty Newbie” will center around the story of a female college freshman who is ready for a fresh start after go

March 27, 2023

Everglow meets with local fans in Thailand at Sound Check Festival

K-pop girl group Everglow met with its Thai fans on Saturday by participating in the Sound Check Festival 2023. The Sound Check Festival, a six-hour K-pop music festival held at Bangkok’s Thunder Dome Stadium, was pumped up with some of the biggest K-pop groups and popular artists from Thailand. Everglow kicked off their performance with their latest tracks “Dun Dun” and “La Di Da.” “The first time we were in Bangkok, we had just made our debut. Back then, we

March 27, 2023

Dojaejung, new unit from NCT to debut in April

K-pop sensation NCT is launching a new unit with three of its members Doyoung, Jaehyun and Jungwoo. The trio will make its debut as Dojaejung with its first mini album “Perfume" on April 17, according to SM Entertainment on Monday. The mini album carries a total of six tracks led by the titular track “Perfume,” and five side tracks of diverse genres. Members of Dojaejung are renowned for their outstanding vocal and performance talents as well as for their good looks. They

March 27, 2023

[Herald Interview] Osmo Vanska offers delayed farewell with last part of Sibelius cycle

Conductor Osmo Vanska, who led the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra for three years until last year, is returning to Korea to conclude the Sibelius cycle. Unfortunately, his tenure coincided with the COVID-19 pandemic, and in early December last year, he suffered a fall that shattered his pelvis and broke his right shoulder. After spending several weeks recovering, the 70-year-old conductor progressed to a wheelchair and by the end of January he was able to conduct while seated. This incident change

March 25, 2023

[Herald Interview] ‘National Office of Investigation’ pays tribute to unsung heroes

Director Bae Jung-hun, who made a name for himself with the hit SBS investigative documentary series “Unanswered Questions,” said he's glad South Korean police are getting the praise they deserve with the rising public attention to his latest project “National Office of Investigation." “The detectives, who starred in the show, said they felt awkward with the online compliments and praises. Here, in many cases, police officers are not applauded for their action

March 24, 2023

[Today’s K-pop] Blackpink to hold encore concert in Paris

Blackpink will perform one more time in Paris on July 15, announced the group's label, YG Entertainment, on Friday. The group will return to the French capital where they performed live in December last year. This time though, they will take to the stage at Stade de France, the largest concert venue in the country. It will be the first time a K-pop female act holds a concert in a stadium in Europe that accommodates more than 80,000 spectators, stressed the label. The bandmates returned from Tai

March 24, 2023

National Contemporary Dance Company to take audience on sensory journey through 'Caveae'

The National Contemporary Dance Company of Korea is scheduled to premiere “Caveae,” an experimental dance that has been two years in the making, in April. The word, “caveae,” is Latin for dark empty spaces and cavities such as holes or hollow caves. The dance explores the space of theater, where artistic ideas and experiences overlap. Instead of being seated in the seats, the audience of some 200 people will be moved to the stage where 39 dancers will perform. As the audi

March 24, 2023

Jimin of BTS faces his genuine self in first solo album

BTS’ Jimin finally made his official solo debut on Friday with his first solo album “Face.” This solo debut comes almost a decade after Jimin made his debut in the music scene as a member of the K-pop sensation BTS back in 2013. “Because this is my first-ever solo album, I am really nervous. I am excited to see how people will feel about this album as I worked really hard on it. I tried to express different kinds of emotions that I’ve felt in my life with my voice,&

March 24, 2023

Noonoo TV deletes pirated Korean TV dramas, films

Noonoo TV, a Korea-based illegal streaming site, has deleted hundreds of pirated Korean TV dramas and movies from their website. Ranging from star-studded 2022 film “Emergency Declaration” to smash hit drama series “Yumi’s Cells” (2021) and “Work Later, Drink Now,” (2021), a total of 169 TV dramas and movies were taken off Noonoo TV, as of Thursday. Pirated from local streaming platforms such as Wavve, Coupang Play, Watcha, Tving and Seezn, comedies and

March 24, 2023

[Box office] Movies in theaters this week

“Woong Nam” (South Korea) Comedy Opened March 22 Directed by Park Sung-kwang Inspired by the Dangun myth, in which a bear turns into a human after 100 days of eating garlic and mugwort, “Woong Nam” tells a story of bear-turned-superhuman brothers Woong-nam and Woong-bok. Actor Park Sung-woong plays the dual role to depict police officer Woong-nam and criminal gang leader Woong-bok. The film was written and directed by comedian Park Sung-kwang. “Soulmate” (

March 24, 2023

[Herald Interview] 14-month world tour gifts Ateez with confidence, teamwork

Returning to their home ground after more than a year of touring the world, the members of Ateez seemed to be glowing with energy. The eight members -- Hongjoong, Seonghwa, Yunho, Yeosang, San, Mingi, Wooyoung and Jongho -- sat down with local journalists at a cafe in Seoul on Wednesday to speak about their two consecutive series of concerts around the globe and share their anticipation for the remaining year. From January to July 2022, Ateez conducted its first world tour after the start of the

March 23, 2023

[Today’s K-pop] Blackpink’s Jisoo floats another teaser for solo album

Jisoo of Blackpink uploaded another teaser poster for her forthcoming solo album on Thursday. She gazes serenely at the camera while her eyes are highlighted with smokey makeup, showing yet another side of her. In the teaser photograph released on the previous day, she went for aesthetics inspired by traditional Korean beauty. The artist is set to bring out her first solo album, “Me,” on March 31. The album has sold more than 950,000 copies in the two weeks since it started taking p

March 23, 2023

Kep1er to return with 4th EP 'Lovestruck!' in April

Just in time for spring, when flowers bloom to awaken the hearts of many, K-pop girl group Kep1er is launching its fourth mini album “Lovestruck!” on April 10. The return comes just six months after the group released its third mini album, “Troubleshooter.” Kep1er’s fourth mini album comprises five tracks, led by “Giddy,” alongside “LVLY,” “Back to the City,” “Why” and “Happy Ending.” Swing Entertainment dr

March 23, 2023

[Today’s K-pop] Solo song from BTS’ Jimin found ‘unsuitable’ for TV

A song from the upcoming solo debut album of BTS’ Jimin was deemed “ineligible” for television broadcasting, according to a review by KBS released Wednesday. The review cited profanity, slang and indecent expressions in the lyrics as reasons. “Face-Off” is the first track from the album “Face,” and the artist, along with bandmate RM, co-wrote the lyrics. Other tracks from the album – focus track “Like Crazy” and “Alone” &nd

March 22, 2023